Sudden storm spoils local sporting events

GLENDALE — While he prepared the field in anticipation of his team’s season-opener Saturday morning, Hoover High softball Coach Rich Henning saw a few raindrops hit the infield dirt.

The rain then disappeared, providing Henning hope that Hoover would be able to participate in its nonleague doubleheader against Antelope Valley. The teams made it to the bottom of the first inning of the first game before the umpires stopped the contest for nearly 30 minutes. The game resumed briefly before the umpires ruled that the remainder of the event would be postponed.

Hoover had retired the side in order in the top of the first. In the bottom of the frame, Kenya Buckley walked and stole second, bringing up Briana Manzanero. Manzanero never completed her plate appearance.

“The rain just started to come down real hard and the field was swamped just like that,” said Henning, who said the games will likely be made up later in the season. “We had the rakes out to fix the field and tried to start again, but the rain kept coming.

“Then the umpires said to get the players off the field because there was some thunder and the players have aluminum bats. Safety first. It’s not worth it because you can have somebody break a leg.”

Several local sporting events were not played or were interrupted Saturday. It’s the exact situation that occurred throughout parts of February, when numerous boys’ and girls’ soccer and girls’ water polo matches had to be postponed and then rescheduled because of rain, thunder and lighting.

The Glendale Community College baseball team was set to play visiting Bakersfield College in a Western State Conference game at 1 p.m. at Stengel Field. The teams agreed to move the game up to 12:15 in order to avoid a potential rainout or rain-shortened game.

It never materialized.

“I thought we could get the game in, and for about five minutes, it got hot out and I was thinking we’d play,” Cicuto said. “Then it started to come down very hard.”

The teams will instead play at 6 p.m. today at Stengel Field before meeting up for a regularly scheduled game at 6 p.m. Tuesday in Bakersfield.

Flintridge Prep’s baseball team was scheduled to face host Morningside in a Southern California Invitational Blue Division game.